• Ivan Maryasin founded Monite after moving from Silicon Valley to Berlin.
• He said building a business in the US is expensive because of employment and cost of living.
• Berlin is accessible and well connected, but not perfect, he said.

This essay, as stated, is based on a transcribed conversation with Ivan Maryasin, 31, about moving from the US to Germany and launching his startup, Monite, in Berlin. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

In 2014, I left Russia to do my Masters in International Business at Hult International Business School in Massachusetts.

I had marketing experience from jobs in Russia and I wanted to work in America. While I was studying, I started working in the IT industry doing marketing. It was a great introduction to innovation and startups.

During my course, I transferred to San Francisco campus and then stayed on to work for several technology companies, designing and implementing growth strategies.

But in 2017, I moved to Germany to be closer to my then-fiancée, whom I had met in Moscow. We found it difficult to find a visa path that would allow her to move to the US and work as a dependent, so we both moved to Berlin. I got an EU Blue Card and she was able to come with me as a partner with permission work in Germany.

I already had plans to start my own company. However, as the cost of living in the US was starting to rise, I thought Europe would be a great location for a new business.

I planned to continue working for startups in Europe before launching my company. I have worked in HR tech and fintech, and in 2020, I co-founded Promptsa company that enables SME platforms like Neobanks to incorporate automated features for things like invoicing to support their customers.

We built the startup from the ground up to a team of 45 and growing 17 million dollars from investors.

I like it Berlin because it is a more affordable place to live and build a business, plus it is well connected to the rest of Europe. Here’s how its startup ecosystem compares Silicon Valley.

Berlin was a more accessible location to start Monite

When I left the US, I visited several places in Europe and talked to people in several cities, including Zurich, Barcelona, ​​and Londonto help me decide where to move. Part of the reason I chose Berlin is that its tech scene was really growing.

There have been a lot of founder meetings, pitch events and accelerators around town. Local funding was also available. At that time, I felt that German funds had strong institutional support and seemed to me to be the most promising in Europe. It is very common to speak English in Berlin, and I consider this to be an advantage for startups as it attracts talent from the US, UK and beyond.

The cost of building a business in the US it is high because of the cost of living and employment. As long as I could raise funds in the US, which has become easier due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I preferred Europe. My trip to the States made it easier for me to know how the US market worked when it came to fundraising.

The cost of living in Berlin is lower. When I lived in San Francisco and the Valley, I paid more in rent and needed a car to get around. In Berlin, I travel mainly by bicycle. Everything is minutes away and there is less traffic.

Berlin is well connected with Europe. You can reach almost anywhere in Europe in a few hours. After moving from California, it was great to be able to see family in Europe and get away more easily.

There are some downsides to living in Berlin

It is difficult to find American-level talent in Europe. A lot of Europeans are focused on work-life balancebut i’m a workaholic.

It’s hard to find people with the same values ​​or who know what you’re talking about when you say, “Benchmark Silicon Valley.” This refers to the strong focus on rapid scaling, competitiveness and continuous self-improvement. In the US, I had friends who worked for LinkedIn, WhatsApp and Facebook, so I could see this benchmark right in front of me.

The European investment ecosystem is much more risk averse. In America, failure is seen as part of the game, with a strong focus on potential upside.

In Europe, the approach tends to be more cautious and conservative, with more emphasis on risk mitigation. I think that’s starting to change now, but historically it’s been one of the hardest to beat in the market.

I feel lucky and grateful to have raised money and for the support I have had. However, it is not easy being an inexperienced founder in Germany, as having local connections has traditionally been valuable. In the US, it is not uncommon to be a foreign founder.

while living in BerlinI think it’s necessary to be strategic about getting the assets I need from other places. Monite is based in Berlin and I mostly live here, but I also travel a lot to places like the US and London to meet people and get inspiration. We also have some employees in the States.

I like living in Europe, but I wouldn’t rule out going back to America

Most people in Silicon Valley focus on startups and innovation. If you’re into work and want to focus 24/7, Silicon Valley is the place to be.

But that also depends on whether you can be there. It is not accessible to everyone due to high visa barriers. For example, the H-1B visa has a lottery system and I know people who went to MIT and Harvard who either didn’t want the hassle or didn’t win the lottery so they had to go.

Living in the Valley was not for me as it meant compromising family relationships and the ability to see friends in Europe.

That said, I won’t say I’ll never go back to San Francisco. If the business required me to be in the States, I would find a way to make it work for my family. But my preference is to live in Europe and be in the States often enough to get benefits.

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